Component assembly

ABSTRACT

A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing device can take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and so on. The portable computing device can include at least a single piece housing. The single piece housing including a plurality of steps. The plurality of mounting steps are formed by at least removing a preselected amount of housing material at predetermined locations on the interior surface. At least some of the mounting steps are used to mount at least some of the plurality of internal operating components housing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/801,013 filed Nov. 1, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/447,030 filed Mar. 1, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.9,829,916, issued on Nov. 28, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/249,287 filed Aug. 26, 2016, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,880,590, issued on Jan. 30, 2018, which is a continuation ofSer. No. 13/855,630 filed Apr. 2, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,431,190,issued on Aug. 30, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/694,200 filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No.8,432,678, issued on Apr. 30, 2013 which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/292,739 filed Jan. 6, 2010, all ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

This patent application is related to and incorporates by reference intheir entirety the following co-pending patent applications:

-   -   (i) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,162 entitled        “ASSEMBLY OF A DISPLAY MODULE” by Ternus et al. filed Jan. 26,        2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,213,168, issued Jul. 3, 2012;    -   (ii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,085 entitled        “HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE” by Ternus et al. filed Jan. 26,        2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,345,410, issued Jan. 1, 2013;    -   (iii) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,168 entitled        “DISPLAY MODULE” by McClure et al. filed Jan. 26, 2010, now U.S.        Pat. No. 8,238,087, issued Aug. 7, 2012;    -   (iv) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,166 entitled        “PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD” by McClure et al. filed Jan. 26, 2010,        now U.S. Pat. No. 7,995,334, issued Aug. 9, 2011; and    -   (v) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/694,083; and entitled        “EDGE BREAK DETAILS AND PROCESSING” by Sweet et al. filed Jan.        26, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,892,238, issued Nov. 18, 2014,        that is, in turn, a continuation in part of U.S. patent        application Ser. No. 12/580,934 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS        FOR POLISHING A CURVED EDGE” by Lancaster et al. filed Oct. 16,        2009 that takes priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.        Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/249,200 entitled        “COMPLEX GEOGRAPHICAL EDGE POLISHING” by Johannessen filed Oct.        6, 2009.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Described Embodiments

The described embodiments relate generally to portable computing devicessuch as laptop computers, tablet computers, and the like. Moreparticularly, enclosures of portable computing devices and methods ofassembling portable computing devices are described.

Description of the Related Art

In recent years, portable computing devices such as laptops, PDAs, mediaplayers, cellular phones, etc., have become small, light and powerful.One factor contributing to this reduction in size can be attributed tothe manufacturer's ability to fabricate various components of thesedevices in smaller and smaller sizes while in most cases increasing thepower and or operating speed of such components. The trend of smaller,lighter and powerful presents a continuing design challenge in thedesign of some components of the portable computing devices.

One design challenge associated with the portable computing device isthe design of the enclosures used to house the various internalcomponents. This design challenge generally arises from a numberconflicting design goals that includes the desirability of making theenclosure lighter and thinner, the desirability of making the enclosurestronger and making the enclosure more esthetically pleasing. Thelighter enclosures, which typically use thinner plastic structures andfewer fasteners, tend to be more flexible and therefore they have agreater propensity to buckle and bow when used while the stronger andmore rigid enclosures, which typically use thicker plastic structuresand more fasteners, tend to be thicker and carry more weight.Unfortunately, however, the increased weight consistent with the morerugged enclosure can lead to user dissatisfaction whereas bowing ofenclosures formed of lightweight material can result in damaging some ofthe internal components (such as printed circuit boards) of the portabledevice.

Furthermore, the enclosures are mechanical assemblies having multipleparts that are screwed, bolted, riveted, or otherwise fastened togetherat discrete points. These assembly techniques typically complicate thehousing design and create aesthetic difficulties because of undesirablecracks, seams, gaps or breaks at the mating surfaces and fastenerslocated along the surfaces of the housing. For example, a mating linesurrounding the entire enclosure is produced when using an upper andlower casing. Moreover, the various components and complicated processesused to manufacture the portable device can make assembly a timeconsuming and cumbersome process requiring, for example, a highlytrained assembly operator working with special tools.

Another challenge is related to techniques for mounting structureswithin the portable computing devices. Conventionally, the structureshave been laid over one of the casings (upper or lower) and attached toone of the casings with fasteners such as screws, bolts, rivets, etc.That is, the structures are positioned in a sandwich like manner inlayers over the casing and thereafter fastened to the casing. Thismethodology suffers from the same drawbacks as mentioned above, i.e.,assembly is a time consuming and cumbersome process.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved component densityand associated assembly techniques that reduce cost and improve outgoingquality. In addition, there is a need for improvements in the manner inwhich handheld devices are assembled such as improvements that enablestructures to be quickly and easily installed within the enclosure. Itis also desirable to minimize the Z stack height of the assembledcomponents in order to reduce the overall thickness of the portablecomputing device and thereby improve the overall aesthetic look and feelof the product.

SUMMARY

A portable computing device is disclosed. The portable computing devicecan take many forms such as a laptop computer, a tablet computer, and soon. In one embodiment, the portable computing device can include asingle piece housing having a front opening. In the describedembodiment, the single piece housing can, in turn, include an integralbottom and side walls that cooperate to form a cavity in cooperationwith the front opening where an interior surface of the bottom wall iscurved and includes a plurality of machined steps suitable for mountingan internal component thereon where at least some of the machined stepsform a pattern of steps. In addition to the single piece housing, theportable computing device can include a component mounted directly tothe curved bottom wall. The component, in turn, includes a mountingfeature having a shape that conforms to the pattern of steps such thatthe mounting feature is directly mounted to the bottom wall of thesingle piece housing without conforming to the curvature of the bottomwall.

In one aspect, the steps can be machined in one set up using computernumerical controlled (CNC) machine tools and associated techniques. Inaddition, any sharp edges can be rounded to a more benign shape therebyreducing any possibility of damaging internal components.

In another embodiment, a button assembly is described. The buttonassembly can include at least a button body having an external topsurface configured to be pressed by a user, at least one tactile switchunit, mounted on a top surface of a first printed circuit boardpositioned such that a bottom surface of the button body can contact thetactile switch unit when the top surface of the button body is pressedby the user, and a plurality of conductive posts mounted on a topsurface of a second printed circuit board positioned and connected to abottom surface of the first printed circuit board through a plurality ofconductive pads mounted thereon. In the described embodiment, when acurrent passes through at least two of the plurality of conductive postswhen the user presses the external top surface of the button bodythereby closing a circuit in the tactile switch unit.

In another embodiment, a button assembly is described that includes atleast a button body including an exterior surface and at least one postextending from an interior surface opposite the exterior surface, the atleast one post having a stem portion proximal to the interior surfaceand a capture portion distal to the interior surface, the captureportion having a diameter greater than the stem portion, a structuralsupport section having a first opening wider than the capture portion ofthe post of the button body and configured to provide structuralstability to a section of a housing to which the structural supportsection is mounted, the section of the housing having a second openinglarger than the exterior surface of the button body, and a retentionbracket having a third opening wider than the diameter of the stemportion and narrower than the diameter of the capture portion of thepost. In the described embodiment, the button assembly can be at leastpartially assembled by extending the post of the button body through thesecond opening in the housing and the first opening in the structuralsupport section and retained in position by the retention bracket.

In still another embodiment, a method is described. The method can becarried out by receiving a housing having a cavity for receivinginternal components, the housing having a plurality of mounting stepsformed on a curved interior bottom surface of the housing. A componentto be mounted to the housing is then received, the component having aconformally shaped mounting feature. The conformally shaped mountingfeature is then placed in contact with at least one of the mountingsteps and bonded to the bottom surface of the housing. In this way, themounting feature is directly mounted to the bottom wall of the singlepiece housing without conforming to the curvature of the bottom wall.

In one aspect, an integrated beam system can be formed by removing lessthan the determined amounts of material from an inner surface of thehousing. The integrated beam system can be part of the housing and beused to provide support for the housing by, in part, distributing aforce applied to the portable computing device. In this way, bydistributing the applied force, the risk of deforming or damaging thehousing can be substantially reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

FIG. 1A shows a top view of a portable computing device in accordancewith the described embodiments.

FIG. 1B shows a perspective top view of a portable computing device inaccordance with the described embodiments.

FIG. 2A shows a full interior view of a housing suitable for enclosingoperational components of the portable computing device shown in FIGS.1A and 1B.

FIG. 2B shows a perspective interior view of a housing suitable forenclosing operational components of the portable computing device shownin FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIGS. 2C and 2D show representative cross sectional view of section A-Aof the housing shown in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3 presents a top level internal view of portable computing deviceshowing a specific arrangement of various internal components.

FIG. 4A shows an exploded view of battery assembly in accordance withthe described embodiments.

FIG. 4B shows a close up view of battery frame shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5 shows cross section along line AA of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 shows a representative cross section of logo in accordance withthe described embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows exploded view of integrated audio module 700 in accordancewith the described embodiments.

FIG. 8A illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of a buttonassembly mounted through a cover glass of a portable computing device inaccordance with the described embodiments.

FIG. 8B illustrates a second cross-sectional view of the button assemblymounted in the portable computing device shown in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8C illustrates a top view of a portion of the button assembly ofFIG. 8A.

FIG. 8D illustrates a simplified cross-sectional view through a portionof the button assembly of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9A presents a perspective internal view of a reinforced housing ofa portable computing device in the region of a button assembly.

FIG. 9B presents a perspective external view of the reinforced housingof the portable computing device illustrated in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 9C illustrates an exploded perspective internal view of a buttonassembly mountable through the reinforced housing 102 of the portablecomputing device 100 illustrated in FIGS. 9A-B.

FIG. 9D illustrates an exploded perspective external view of the buttonassembly illustrated in FIGS. 9A-C.

FIG. 9E shows a simplified horizontal cross-sectional view of a portionof the button assembly illustrated in FIGS. 9A-D.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart detailing a process in accordance with thedescribed embodiments.

FIG. 11 shows SIM card in accordance with the described embodiments.

FIG. 12 shows SIM card of FIG. 11 incorporated into portable computingdevice.

FIGS. 13-15 show various configurations and methods of assembling aradio transparent antenna window in accordance with the describedembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following paper, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a thorough understanding of the concepts underlying thedescribed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled inthe art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some orall of these specific details. In other instances, well known processsteps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the underlying concepts.

This paper discusses an aesthetically pleasing portable computing devicethat is easy to carry with one hand and operate with the other. Theportable computing device can be formed of a single piece seamlesshousing and an aesthetically pleasing protective top layer that can beformed of any of a number of durable and strong yet transparentmaterials such as highly polished glass or plastic. For the remainder ofthis discussion, however, the protective top layer can take the form ofhighly polished cover glass without any loss in generality. Furthermore,the uniformity of the appearance of the portable computing device can beenhanced since (unlike conventional portable computing devices) thecover glass can be mounted to the single piece seamless housing withoutthe use of a bezel. This simplicity of design can accrue many advantagesto the portable computing device besides those related to aesthetic lookand feel. For example, fewer components and less time and effort can berequired for assembly of the portable computing device, and the absenceof seams in the single piece housing can provide good protection againstenvironmental contamination of internal components. Moreover, theability of the portable computing device to successfully withstandapplied loads (such as from day to day use) as well as those from lessfrequent but potentially more damaging events such as being dropped canbe substantially improved over conventional portable computing devices.

In the described embodiments, the single piece seamless housing can beformed from plastic or metal. In the case where the single pieceseamless housing is formed of metal, the metal can take the form of asingle sheet (such as aluminum). The single sheet of metal can be formedinto a shape appropriate for housing various internal components as wellas providing various openings into which switches, connectors, displays,and so on can be accommodated. The single piece seamless housing can beforged, molded, or otherwise processed into a desired shape. The shapeof the housing can be asymmetric in that an upper portion of the housingcan formed to have a substantially different shape than that exhibitedby a lower portion of the housing. For example, the upper portion of thehousing can have surfaces that meet at distinct angles forming welldefined boundary whereas the lower portion can be formed to have asurface with a spline shape. The transition zone between the upperportion having distinct edges and the lower, spline shaped portion cantake the form of an edge having a rounded shape providing both a naturalchange from the upper portion of the housing (i.e., the area of distinctedges) and the smoother surface presented by the lower portion of thehousing. It should also be noted that in addition to providing a moreaesthetically pleasing transition, the rounded shape of the edge in thetransition zone can provide a more comfortable feel when being held in auser's hand either during use or merely being carried about. One of theadvantages to using metal for the housing is ability of metal to providegood electrical grounding for any internal components requiring a goodground plane. For example, performance of a built in RF antenna can besubstantially improved when a good ground plane is provided. Moreover, agood ground plane can be used to help mitigate the deleterious effectscaused by, for example, of electromagnetic interference (EMI) and/orelectrostatic discharge (ESD).

It should be noted that throughout the following discussion, the term“CNC” is used. The abbreviation CNC stands for computer numericalcontrol and refers specifically to a computer controller that readscomputer instructions and drives a machine tool (a powered mechanicaldevice typically used to fabricate components by the selective removalof material). It should be noted however, that any appropriate machiningoperation can be used to implement the described embodiments and is notstrictly limited to those practices associated with CNC.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to FIGS.1-15. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that thedetailed description given herein with respect to these figures is forexplanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1A illustrates a specific embodiment of portable computing device100. More specifically, FIG. 1 A shows a full top view of fullyassembled portable computing device 100. Portable computing device 100can process data and more particularly media data such as audio, video,images, etc. By way of example, portable computing device 100 cangenerally correspond to a device that can perform as a music player,game player, video player, personal digital assistant (PDA), tabletcomputer and/or the like. With regards to being handheld, portablecomputing device 100 can be held in one hand by a user while beingoperated by the user's other hand (i.e., no reference surface such as adesktop is needed). For example, the user can hold portable computingdevice 100 in one hand and operate portable computing device 100 withthe other hand by, for example, operating a volume switch, a holdswitch, or by providing inputs to a touch sensitive surface such as adisplay or pad.

Portable computing device 100 can include single piece seamless housing102 that can be formed of any number of materials such as plastic ormetal which can be forged, molded, or otherwise processed into a desiredshape. In those cases where portable computing device 100 has a metalhousing and incorporates RF based functionality, it may be advantageousto provide at least a portion of housing 102 in the form of radio (orRF) transparent materials such as ceramic, or plastic. In any case,housing 102 can be configured to at least partially enclose any suitablenumber of internal components associated with the portable computingdevice 100. For example, housing 102 can enclose and support internallyvarious structural and electrical components (including integratedcircuit chips and other circuitry) to provide computing operations forportable computing device 100. The integrated circuits can take the formof chips, chip sets, modules any of which can be surface mounted to aprinted circuit board, or PCB, or other support structure. For example,a main logic board (MLB) can have integrated circuits mounted thereonthat can include at least a microprocessor, semi-conductor (such asFLASH) memory, various support circuits and so on.

Housing 102 can include opening 104 for placing internal components andmay be sized to accommodate a display assembly or system suitable forproviding a user with at least visual content as for example via adisplay. In some cases, the display system can include touch sensitivecapabilities providing the user with the ability to provide tactileinputs to portable computing device 100 using touch inputs. The displaysystem can be formed of a number of layers including a topmost layertaking the form of transparent protective layer 106 formed ofpolycarbonate or other appropriate plastic or highly polished glass.Using highly polished glass, protective layer 106 can take the form ofcover glass 106 substantially filling opening 104. Seal 108 can be usedto form a gasket between cover glass 106 and housing 102. Seal 108 canbe formed of a resilient material such as a plastic along the lines ofthermoplastic urethane or TPU. In this way, seal 108 can provideprotection against environmental contaminants from entering the interiorof portable computing device 100. Racetrack 110 can be defined as theuppermost portion of the housing 102 that surrounds cover glass layer106. In order to maintain the desired aesthetic look and feel ofportable computing device 100, it is desirable that any offsets betweenthe housing 102 and cover glass 106 be minimized by centering racetrack110.

Although not shown, the display panel underlying cover glass 106 can beused to display images using any suitable display technology, such asLCD, LED, OLED, electronic or e-inks, and so on. Display assembly may beplaced and secured within the cavity using a variety of mechanisms. Inone embodiment, the display system is snapped into the cavity. It may beplaced flush with the adjacent portion of the housing. In this way, thedisplay can present visual content that can include video, still images,as well as icons such as graphical user interface (GUI) that can provideinformation the user (e.g., text, objects, graphics) as well as receiveuser provided inputs. In some cases, displayed icons can be moved by auser to a more convenient location on the display. For example, GUI canbe moved by the user manually dragging GUI from one location to a moreconvenient location. The display can also provide a user with tactilefeedback provided by a number of haptic actuators usually, but notalways, arranged in an array of haptic actuators incorporated into thedisplay. In this way, the haptic actuators can provide the user withtactile feedback.

In some embodiments, a display mask (not shown) can be applied to, orincorporated within or under cover glass 106. The display mask can beused to accent an unmasked portion of the display used to present visualcontent. The display mask can be used to make less obvious home button112 used to provide a specific input such as change display mode, forexample to portable computing device 100. The display mask can renderhome button 112 less obvious by, for example, being closer in tone orcolor to home button 112. For example, if home button 112 is formed of amaterial that is somewhat darker (such as gray or black) than coverglass 106, then using a similarly colored display mask can reduce thevisual impact of home button 112 when compared with the unmasked portionof cover glass 106. In this way, the visual impact of home button 112can be reduced by being integrated into the overall look of the displaymask. Furthermore, the display mask can provide a natural mechanism fordirecting the attention of a viewer to the unmasked area of the displayused to present visual content.

Portable computing device 100 can include a number of mechanicalcontrols for controlling or otherwise modifying certain functions ofportable computing device 100. For example, power switch 114 can be usedto manually power on or power off portable computing device 100. Mutebutton 116 can be used to mute any audio output provided by portablecomputing device 100 whereas volume switch 118 can be used toincrease/decrease volume of the audio output by portable computingdevice 100. It should be noted that each of the above described inputmechanisms are typically disposed through an opening in housing 102 suchthat they can couple to internal components in some embodiments,portable computing device 100 can include a camera module configured toprovide still or video images. The placement may be widely varied andmay include one or more locations including for example front and backof the device, i.e., one through the back housing, the other through thedisplay window.

Portable computing device 100 can include a mechanism for wirelesscommunications, as either a transceiver type device or receiver only,such as a radio, portable computing device 100 can include an antennathat can be disposed internal to a radio transparent portion of housing102. In some embodiments, an antenna can be incorporated into seal 108or cover glass 106. In other embodiments, a portion of housing 102 canbe replaced with radio transparent material in the form of an antennawindow described in more detail below. The radio transparent materialcan include, for example, plastic, ceramic, and so on. The wirelesscommunications can be based on many different wireless protocolsincluding for example 3G, 2G, Bluetooth, RF, 802.11, FM, AM, and so on.Any number of antennae may be used, which can use a single window ormultiple windows depending on the needs of the system. In oneembodiment, the system can include at least first and second antennawindows built into the housing.

FIG. 1B shows a perspective top view of portable computing device 100 inaccordance with the described embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1B, portablecomputing device 100 can include one or more speakers 120 used to outputaudible sound. Portable computing device 100 can also include one ormore connectors for transferring data and/or power to and from portablecomputing device 100. For example, portable computing device 100 caninclude multiple data ports, one for each configuration of portrait modeand landscape mode. However, the currently described embodiment includessingle data port 122 that can be formed of connector assembly 124accommodated within an opening formed along a first side of housing 102.In this way, portable computing device 100 can use data port 122 tocommunicate with external devices when portable computing device 100 ismounted in docking station. It should be noted that in some cases,portable computing device 100 can include an orientation sensor or anaccelerometer that can sense the orientation or movement of portablecomputing device 100. The sensor can then provide an appropriate signalwhich will then cause portable computing device 100 to present visualcontent in an appropriate orientation.

Connector assembly 124 can be any size deemed appropriate such as, forexample, a 30 pin connector. In some cases, the connector assembly 124can serve as both a data and power port thus obviating the need for aseparate power connector. Connector assembly 124 can be widely varied.In one embodiment, connector assembly 124 can take the form of aperipheral bus connector, such as a USB or FIREWIRE connector. Thesetypes of connectors include both power and data functionality, therebyallowing both power delivery and data communications to occur betweenthe portable computing device 100 and the host device when the portablecomputing device 100 is connected to the host device. In some cases, thehost device can provide power to the media portable computing device 100that can be used to operate the portable computing device 100 and/orcharge a battery included therein concurrently with the operating.

FIGS. 2A and 2B present a representative interior view of cavity (alsoreferred to as lumen) 200 of single piece seamless housing 102 used toenclose various internal components of the portable computing device 100shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In the described embodiment, single pieceseamless housing 102 can be formed from a single sheet of metal (such asaluminum) and formed into an appropriate shape using, for example, usingconventional collapsible core metal forming techniques well known tothose skilled in the art. Housing 102 can include a number of featuresused to facilitate the installation of internal components used in theassembly of portable computing device 100. For example, opening 202 canbe formed in housing 102 suitably sized and located for an RF antenna.In the case where opening 202 is used for placing an RF antenna, opening202 can support an RF antenna support assembly formed of at least someradio transparent material. In this way, the RF antenna support assemblycan facilitate unimpeded transmission and reception of RF energy insupport of any number of wireless protocols such as WiFi, Blue Tooth,and so on. It should be noted the ability to provide unfettered RFfunctionality is especially important when housing 102 is formed ofradio opaque materials such as most metals.

In order to accommodate various interfaces (dock, audio jack, volume,power, mute, and so on), FIG. 2B shows how openings of various sizes canbe created in the housing 102. For example, opening 204 can be used tosupport data port 122, openings 206 can be used to provide support forspeakers 120; opening 208 can provide support for volume switch 118 andopening 210 for mute button 116. Furthermore, opening 212 can be used toprovide support for power switch 114 and opening 214 for an audio jack.It should be noted that any number of approaches can be used to createthese openings and make the opening trim appear to be thicker than thethickness (about 1.5 mm) of the sheet metal used to create housing 102.Creating these openings in the housing 102, however, can result in longand thin webs of metal that can deform from the impact of a drop eventor cause housing 102 to exhibit unacceptable flexing under torsion. Aparticular reinforcing technique is described below.

A plurality of steps 216 can be formed in bottom surface 218 of housing102. Steps 216 can be used to provide a support platform for mountingvarious internal components onto bottom surface 218 of housing 102. Inthe described embodiment, steps 216 can be formed by removing apre-determined amount of housing material (such as aluminum) usingconventional machining techniques. Typically, each of the steps can haverounded edges in order to protect internal components that may come incontact. As is apparent in FIGS. 2A and 2B, steps 216 can also be formedinto various patterns, such as pattern 220, 222 and pattern 224. Farfrom being merely aesthetic in nature, the various patterns can be veryuseful. For example, the various patterns can be used to accommodatemounting structures used to support internal components, such as forexample a battery frame. In some cases, pattern 226 can take the form ofan integrated beam structure described in more detail below thatprovides for a more even distribution of loads applied to housing 102.Moreover, in addition to providing structural support and aiding inresisting deformation, the housing material removed in the formation ofthe plurality of steps 216 can help to substantially reduce the overallweight of housing 102.

FIGS. 2C and 2D show shows a cross sectional view of housing 102 takenalong line A-A of FIGS. 2A and 2B. In particular, FIG. 2C shows thenature of the undercut geometry of housing 102 illustrating more clearlyhow linear dimensions (length L, for example) of opening 104 into whichthe operational components can be inserted during assembly is smallerthan the linear dimensions (length l, for example) of the body of thehousing 102. Moreover, the curvature of housing 102 can be asymmetric inthat upper portion 228 of housing 102 can be formed to have distinctedges whereas lower portion 230 can be formed to have spline shape. Thisasymmetry aids in the tactile sensation presented by portable computingdevice 100 in part because it provides a better fit to the user's hand.

In any case, housing 102 can have a nominal wall thickness tnon, (thatcan be on the order of about 1.5 mm). Upper portion 228 can be formed insuch a way as to have a substantially uniform average wall thicknessclose to nominal wall thickness tnom. Since interior surface 218 oflower portion 230 substantially conforms to the spline shape of exteriorsurface of housing 102, mounting internal components onto interiorsurface 218 can be difficult or at best sub-optimal. For example, inorder to securely place an internal component onto interior surface 218,any mounting structure used to mount the internal component to internalsurface 218 would have to be specially machined to fit the curvature ofinterior surface 218. This special machining would require specialtooling and add extra costs to manufacture as well as adding complexityand time required for assembly.

Therefore, in order provide a more suitably shaped interior surface uponwhich to mount internal components (as well as to reduce the weight ofhousing 102), interior surface 218 of housing 102 can be sculpted (usingCNC machining techniques, for example) to any appropriate shape.Interior surface 218 can be sculpted to include plurality of mountingsteps 216 that can resemble in form a terrace. Firstly, however, adetermination can be made of a minimum thickness tmin for housing 102that is consistent with both good structural integrity and a desiredweight reduction. For example, in the case where housing 102 is formedof aluminum having nominal thickness tnom of about 1.5 mm, it has beendetermined that minimum thickness tmin of about 0.6 mm results in anaverage step height “h” of about 0.5 mm resulting in an average weightreduction of about 25%. Using these settings, interior surface 218 ofhousing 102 can be machined in one machine set up to include a suitablenumber of steps each having step height h creating various terracingpatterns well suited for both reducing the overall weight of housing 102but also providing suitable mounting platforms for mounting variousinternal components.

Portions of interior surface 218 can be maintained at a thickness thatis substantially the same as nominal thickness tnom. For example, inorder to distribute any stresses applied to housing 102 more evenly,integrated beam system (which in FIG. 2A pattern 226 that resembles theletter “H”) can be created simply by not machining those portions ofhousing 102 consistent with the desired location of integrated beamsystem. In some cases, however, integrated beam system can be created bysimply removing less material from housing 102 in those locationscorresponding to integrated beam system such that thickness tcorresponding to integrated beam system is tnom>t>tmm. In this way, beamstructure can more evenly distribute applied loads across a largerregion of housing 102 thereby minimizing the likelihood of buckling ordeformation.

Unlike the assembly of conventional portable electronic devices wherecomponents are assembled in a top-down manner (i.e., the components areinserted into the housing before the bezel is snapped on), the undercutgeometry of housing 102 requires that all components fit within thedimensions (L, W) of opening 104. Moreover, the assembly of portableelectronic device 100 can be carried out in a bottom-up manner. In orderto facilitate the bottom-up assembly of portable electronic device 100and to minimize any offsets between the polished top glass layer and anuppermost portion of the housing (racetrack 110), various techniques,apparatus and systems can be used that minimize stack (i.e., zdirection) tolerance as well as to increase component density withinhousing 102.

The following discussion describes specific approaches to bothminimizing the Z height of the assembled components and maximizingcomponent density within housing 102. In other words, the Z stackassociated with installed internal components is such that thecomponents can be easily accommodated by cavity 200 without the need toresort to lengthy and time consuming assembly procedures. The reduced Zstack and improved component density can be accomplished in many wayssuch a configuring the structure of an internal component to performmultiple functions. For example, portable computing device 100 caninclude a battery assembly. The battery assembly can, in turn, includebattery cells that can be suspended from an upper protective layerleaving a gap (referred to as a swell gap) between a lower surface ofhousing 102 and a lower surface of the battery cells. In conventionallyarranged battery assemblies, the battery cells would require space abovethe battery cells to accommodate swelling anticipated to occur duringnormal operation. However, by placing the swell gap below the batterycells, space between the battery cells and the housing that wouldotherwise be wasted can be used in a productive manner. Componentdensity can also be increased. For example, circuits that wouldotherwise be considered separate can be combined to share a singleconnector. For example, an audio module can include both a microphoneand associated circuitry that can share a flex connector with an audiocircuit used to produce audio output. In this way, both the number andoverall footprint of the internal components can be substantiallyreduced without adversely affecting overall functionality.

Moreover, efficient assembly techniques can be provided thatsubstantially reduce the time and effort required for assembly. One suchtechnique can include coordinating the installation of a number ofinternal components in such that securing one component can have theeffect of securing all of the components. For example, portablecomputing device 100 can include a main printed circuit board (referredto as a highway board) that can extend substantially across the lengthof portable computing device 100. In this way, the main printed circuitboard can connect internal components that are disparately locatedwithin housing 102 without the need for long connectors. Moreover, byjudiciously selecting those components to attach to the main printedcircuit board and in what order can greatly simplify the assemblyprocess. For example, connector assembly 124 and a main logic board, orMLB, can be mounted but not yet secured to the main printed circuitboard in such as a way that securing connector assembly 124 to the mainprinted circuit board has the effect of simultaneously securing the MLB.In this way, a single act of securing the connector assembly securesboth the MLB and the main printed circuit board thereby eliminating anumber of separate securing operations.

FIGS. 3-9 illustrate the operational components of portable computingdevice 100. The operational components are organized in layers. Therelationship and organization of the operational components within eachlayer and the relationship between layers can be used to facilitate boththe assembly and optimization of the Z stack of the internal componentsof portable computing device 100. In this way, minimizing the Z stack,portable computing device 100 can be extremely compact, sturdy,aesthetically pleasing and ergonomic at relatively low cost.

FIG. 3 presents a top level internal view 300 of portable computingdevice 100 showing a specific arrangement of various internalcomponents. In one embodiment, the internal components can include atleast battery assembly 302. Battery assembly 302 can include at leasttwo battery cells 304, 306 supported by battery frame 308. In thedescribed embodiment, first protective layer 310 can wrapped around andattached to battery frame 308. First protective layer 310 can provideprotection to battery cells 304 and 306. In some cases, first protectivelayer 310 can be formed of resilient yet durable material such as Mylar™having an adhesive layer. Battery cells 304 and 306 can be attached tofirst protective layer 310 using the adhesive. In this way, batterycells 304 and 306 can be suspended from first protective layer 310leaving a space between a lower surface of the battery cells 304 and 306and interior surface 218 of housing 102. This space (which can bereferred to as a swell gap) can be sized to accommodate any swelling ofbattery cells 304 and 306 that typically occurs during battery poweredoperation of portable computing device 100. It should be noted that inaddition to first protective layer 310, a second protective layer can beapplied to the lower surface of battery cells 304 and 306 using anadhesive, for example. The second protective layer can provideprotection to battery cells 304 and 306 especially in those cases wheresteps 216 (or at least the steps in the vicinity of the lower surface ofbattery cells 304 and 306) are not rounded or otherwise shaped to avoidsharp edges. In the described embodiments, the second protective layercan be formed of any number of suitable materials that can include, forexample, polyetheretherketone otherwise known as PEEK. Battery frame 308can be shaped to conform to step patterns formed in housing 102. In thisway, battery frame 308 can be mounted directly to housing 102 usingselected mounting steps. In this way, battery frame 308 does not requirespecial machining or other extraneous processing to be mounted to curvedinterior surface 218 of housing 102.

The internal components can include main logic board 312 that caninclude a number of operational circuits such as a processor, graphicscircuits, (optional) RF circuitry, semiconductor memory, such as FLASH,and so on. MLB 312 can receive power from battery assembly 302 by way ofelectrical connectors. In one embodiment, MLB 312 can be supported, inpart, by battery frame 308. The internal components can also includemain printed circuit board (mPCB) 314 connected to MLB 312 by way ofboard to board connector 316. In the described embodiment, board toboard connector 316 can include a suitable number (such as 70) of pinsto provide an adequate number of communication channels between MLB 312and other circuits in portable computing device 100. In order tofacilitate communication between MLB 312 and other circuits in portablecomputing device 100, mPCB 314 can provide appropriate interconnectionresources for MLB 312. The interconnection resources provided by mPCB314 can include a number of electrical traces formed of conductivematerial incorporated into a substrate of rigid material. In order toreduce the impact on the Z stack height of the internal components, mPCB314 can be supported in part by battery frame 308 in such a way that atleast some of the vertical extent of mPCB 314 is below a top surface ofprotective layer 310. Furthermore, in order to protect other circuits,such as a display panel that can flex (which can be as much as 0.5 mm)in response to an external applied force (such as a user's fingerpressing on cover glass 106), protective layer 318 can be adhered to atop surface of mPCB 314.

The internal components can include speaker module 320 that can includeaudio circuits arranged to provide an audio signal to audio drivers 322and 324. Audio drivers 322 and 324, in turn, can provide audible outputto speakers 120. Wireless circuit 326 can be mounted directly to anunderside of mPCB 314 thereby using space that would otherwise go unusedin a more efficient manner. In this way, the overall component densitycan be enhanced while at the same time reducing the number ofinterconnects used (since wireless circuit 316 is connected directly tomPCB 314). Portable computing device 100 can also include a number ofantennae used for both transmission and reception of RF energy. Forexample, first (logo) antenna 328 (shown in dotted line form) can beincorporated into opening 202 and, in some embodiment, be embedded in alogo, the logo being incorporated into housing 102. Second antenna 330can be placed in a position such that a portion can be incorporated intoseal 108 for better overall reception/transmission. Integrated audiomodule 332 can include audio circuit 334 and microphone module 336 in acompact and integrated assembly. In the described embodiment, integratedaudio module 332 can provide both audio output by way of audio jack 338and receive audio input by way of microphone 340.

In some embodiments, portable computing device 100 can support a numberof different wireless standards. For example, in those cases whereportable computing device 100 supports a particular wireless standard(such as the 3G standard), portable computing device 100 can includewireless circuitry appropriate for the particular wireless standard. Forexample, if portable computing device 100 is 3G compliant, the MLB 312can include 3G wireless circuitry coupled to an appropriately placed andsized RF antenna (It should be noted that as discussed in co-pendingU.S. patent application “HANDHELD COMPUTING DEVICE” by Ternus et al. aportion of housing 102 is typically replaced with a radio transparentwindow in co-operation with the RF antenna). Flex connector 342 canconnect integrated audio module 332 to MLB 312 whereas display bus 344can connect display driver circuitry to MLB 312 by way of displayconnector 346. In the described embodiment, display bus 344 can take theform of a low voltage differential signaling, or LVDS, bus. Bus 348 caninclude signal lines for coupling MLB 312 to power switch 114, mutebutton 116 and volume switch 118 and connector 350 can carry audiosignals to speakers 120.

FIG. 4A shows an exploded view of battery assembly 400 in accordancewith the described embodiments. Battery assembly 400 can include batteryframe 402 onto which can be mounted circuit 404. Circuit 404 can includebattery regulation and safety circuits arranged to protect batteryassembly 302 from any number of operating excursions that could causedamage to battery assembly 400. Circuit 404 can also include connectorsused to provide power from battery assembly 302 to MLB 312. As a safetycircuit, circuit 404 can provide a fuse type circuit that preventsbattery assembly 302 from overheating. Circuit 404 can be placed ontobattery frame 402 within cavity 406. Battery cells 408 and 410 can besurrounded by first protective layer 412 on a top portion and secondprotective layer 414 adhered to a bottom portion of each of batterycells 408 and 410. In the described embodiment, second protective layercan take the form of PEEK whereas first protective layer 410 can takethe form of Mylar. Platform 416 can be used to support mPCB 314.

FIG. 4B shows a close up view of battery frame 402. Battery frame 402can be placed directly onto housing 102 using attachment features 420and 422 that can be shaped to conform to a nearby step pattern formed inhousing 102. In this way, battery frame 402 can be attached directly tohousing 102 using adhesive, such as epoxy, without requiring specialmachining. Once securely mounted to housing 102, battery frame 402 canbe used to mount other components within portable computing device 100.For example, MLB 312 can be supported by MLB support 424 whereas mPCB314 can be placed on platform 426 and secured using attachment features428. Bosses 430 can be used to attach other components (such as speakermodule 320) to housing 102.

FIG. 5 shows cross section 500 along line AA of FIG. 3 bisecting batteryassembly 302, logo 502 and mPCB 314. In particular, cross section 500illustrates compact nature of the assembled internal components. Forexample, logo 502 can encompass an RF antenna (referred to as a logoantenna) supported by antenna carrier 504. In order to avoid unnecessaryinterference with RF transmissions from the logo antenna, logo 502 canbe formed of radio transparent material such as plastic, glass, ceramicand so on. However, in order to prevent the logo antenna frominterfering with the operation of RF sensitive circuits within portablecomputing device 100 (and vice versa) and to therefore limit electronicnoise, antenna carrier 504 can formed of a radio-opaque material (suchas a grounded metal sheet) that can be placed over and completelysurround the logo antenna. In so doing, a substantial portion of any RFenergy that backscatters from the logo antenna can be prevented frominterfering with RF sensitive circuits. Display module circuit 506 canbe connected to LVDS bus 344 by way of connector 346 and be used todrive display panel 508.

FIG. 6 shows a representative cross section of logo 600 in accordancewith the described embodiments. As shown, logo 600 can be formed ofglass, or similar material, mounted by way of adhesive 602 (such as PSA)to substrate 604. In this way, the esthetic look of logo 600 can beenhanced due to transparent or near transparent nature of the glass usedto fabricate logo 600. In some cases, the glass can facilitate thetransmission of light emanating from portable computing device 100. Itshould also be noted, that due at least to the presence of adhesive 602,any impact to logo 600 will likely only result in the cracking of glassof logo 600 with little or no shattering.

FIG. 7 shows exploded view of integrated audio module 700 in accordancewith the described embodiments. Integrated audio module 700 includesaudio circuit 702 and microphone module 704 enclosed within sealing boot706. Both audio circuit 702 and microphone module 704/sealing boot 706are incorporated onto audio module flex 708 connected to MLB 312 by wayof board to board connector 710. By incorporating audio circuit 702 andmicrophone module 704 onto audio module flex 708, microphone port 712(part of sealing boot 706) and audio jack 714 can be placed in closeproximity to one another in housing 102. In the described embodiment,microphone port 712 can be approximately 1 mm in diameter.

The portable computing device 100 can include one or more buttonassemblies by which the user of the portable computing device 100 canactivate various functions. Button assemblies can be mounted through thesurface of the cover glass 106 of the display in the portable computingdevice 100 or through a front, side or back portion of the single piecehousing 102 of the portable computing device 100. The button assembliescan be designed to provide a desired tactile feedback to the user whenactivating the button assembly's function. In addition, the buttonassemblies can be designed, in conjunction with designs of both outersurfaces of and inner connection points within the portable computingdevice 100, to be positioned approximately flush with the outer surfacesin neutral, “non-depressed” state, even with internal circuit boardslocated at a distance from a top portion of the button assembly.

FIG. 8A illustrates a first cross-sectional perspective view 800 andFIG. 8B a second cross-sectional view 850 of a home button assembly 802mounted through cover glass 106 of a portable computing device 100 inaccordance with the described embodiments. The home button assembly 802can include an external flat or curved button body 112 that restsapproximately flush with an exterior surface of cover glass 106. Sideflanges 804 can be mounted on the underside of (or integrally formedwith) the external button 112 and extend beneath the underside of coverglass 106. A central post 806 can also be mounted to the underside of(or be integrally formed with) the external button body 112 positionedabove a tactile switch unit 808. In a neutral, “non-depressed” state thecentral post 806 can be at a distance from the tactile switch unit 808.Upon depressing the external button body 112, the central post 806 cancontact the tactile switch unit 808 in a manner that results in closinga contact circuit within the tactile switch unit 808. The use of thetactile switch unit 808 can allow a user of the portable computingdevice 100 to experience a different “feel” when pressing at differentlocations on the surface of the external button body 112, as theexternal button body 112 can pivot about the top of the tactile switchunit 808.

The internal components of the portable computing device 100 can includea printed circuit board 818 through which signals can be conducted as aresult of depressing the external button 802. As illustrated in FIG. 8A,the printed circuit board 818 can be located at a distance from contactpoints of the tactile switch unit 808. The distance can be such that thetactile switch unit 808 cannot be mounted directly on the printedcircuit board 818, as the travel distance of the center post 806 of theexternal button body 112 can be too short to reach the tactile switchunit 808 when depressed to activate a function. The printed circuitboard 818 can also include components in a region directly beneath theexternal button body 112 that preclude mounting the tactile switch unit808 directly to the printed circuit board 818. Instead a connection canbe made between the printed circuit board 818 and the tactile switchunit 808.

As shown in FIGS. 8A-B, the tactile switch unit 808 can be mounted to anintermediate printed circuit board 810. In some implementations, theintermediate printed circuit board 810 can be connected to the printedcircuit board 818 through a flexible cable; however, such a connectioncan complicate the assembly process. In some embodiments, the flexiblecable connection can preclude a simple machine automated assembly andrequire manual assembly by a technician. The representative embodimentshown in FIGS. 8A-B avoids manual assembly by enabling a connection fromthe intermediate printed circuit board 810 to the printed circuit board818 through a pair of conductive posts 814/816 and a pair of conductivepads 812/813. A first conductive post 814, for example, can be connectedto a DC power level supplied through the printed circuit board 818,while the second conductive post 816 can be connected to a GND level inthe printed circuit board 818. Conductive posts 814 and 816 can beconnected to separate conductive pads 812 and 813 respectively mountedon the underside of the intermediate printed circuit board 810.Depressing the external button body 112 can close a circuit within thetactile switch unit 808 connecting the first conductive post 814 to thesecond conductive post 816 and thereby permitting current to flow, whichcan activate directly or indirectly a function of the portable computingdevice 100. In addition to providing a conductive path, the conductiveposts 814/816 can be sized and positioned between the intermediateprinted circuit board 810 and the printed circuit board 818 to “tune”the tactile feel of the button assembly 802 for the user of the portablecomputing device 100. For example, the conductive posts 814/816 can bepositioned closer together or further apart, and the thickness of theintermediate printed circuit board 810 can be varied to increase ordecrease flexing that can occur when depressing the external button 802to contact the tactile switch unit 808.

As shown in FIGS. 8A-B the intermediate circuit board 810 to which thetactile switch unit 808 mounts can be covered in certain regions by astiffener section 820. The stiffener section 820 can be shaped toinclude vertical walls that prevent the flanges 804 underneath theexternal button body 112 from moving laterally in one or more directionsand also from rotating clockwise or counterclockwise, therebystabilizing the external button body 112 when pressed by the user. FIG.8C illustrates a simplified top view of the home button assembly withthe flanges 804 extending from underneath the external button body 112.The top of the external button body 112 can include directional markers822 that can assist a user in locating the external button body 112 aswell as guide the user into applying pressure at appropriate locationson the external button body. The directional markers 822 can takedifferent forms including tactile raised dots and compass point (forexample north (N) and south (S)) markers. During operation of theportable computing device 100, the user can apply pressure off center onthe surface of the home button body 112. In some embodiments, the homebutton body 112 can incur an unacceptably high probability of “sticking”when a top portion of button body 112 or flanges 804 can “dive under” aportion of a stiffener section 826. For example, by pressing at the “S”end of the external button body, an edge of the anti-rotation ring 824can catch beneath an adjacent stiffener section. To prevent such“diving”, a flexure 824 can be attached (such as by a pressure sensitiveadhesive) at a first end 828 to the bottom surface of the button body112 or flanges 804 and at a second end 830 to a surface of a nearbyportion of the stiffener section 820. The flexure can allow verticalmovement of the external home button 112 but resist lateral horizontalmovement of the external button body 112 and also prevent rotation alongany axis, thereby preventing the external button body 112 from divingunder the adjacent portion of stiffener section 826 and movingessentially in a z-direction perpendicular to the surface of theportable media device 100.

Button assemblies can also be mounted through a portion of the singlepiece housing 102 that encloses the portable computing device 100. Asthe single piece housing 102 can be relatively thin to reduce weight ofthe portable computing device 100, openings in the housing 102 canimpact the structural integrity of portions of the housing 102 near theopening. For relatively large openings, a structural support section canbe included inside the housing 102 to improve rigidity; however, abutton assembly can still require access through the structural supportsection. It can be desirable to minimize the size of openings throughthe structural support section, thereby retaining a desired strength ofstructural support, when using a relatively larger exterior button thatcan use a relatively larger opening in the housing 102.

FIG. 9A illustrates an interior perspective view 900 of a housing 102 ofa portable computing device 100 that includes openings for buttonassemblies and a structural support section 904. As shown in FIG. 9B arelatively large external opening 922 through the housing 102 can besubstantially larger than the openings 906 through the structuralsupport section 904. Some openings through the housing 102, such asopening 910, can be sized sufficiently small that a structural supportsection is not required, while larger openings such as opening 922 canrequire additional structural support. The structural support section904 can include mounting holes 908 to which a retention bracket can besecured and retain an external button mounted through the housing 102and structural support section 904. The structural support section 904can be attached to housing 102 using an epoxy adhesive or by welding orby other appropriate means. FIGS. 9C and 9D illustrate exploded internaland external views respectively of a button assembly with the relativelylarge opening 922 in the housing 102 augmented by the structural supportsection 904. An external volume button 118 can include two posts 934,each post 934 having a stem portion 936 connected to the back side ofthe external volume button 118 and a capture portion 938, wider than thestem portion 936, which can contact a tactile switch mounted inside thehousing 102. In a representative embodiment, the external button 932 canbe a “volume” button that can be depressed in two directions to activatetwo different functions such as “louder” and “softer” by contacting twoseparate tactile switches.

As shown in FIG. 9C, a smaller button, for example the mute button 116,can be mounted from the inside of the housing 102 as the opening 910through which the mute button 116 extends is sufficiently large toaccommodate the external sections of the mute button 116 while notaffecting the structural integrity of the housing 102. The volume button118, however, cannot be mounted from the inside of the housing 102, asthe structural support section 904 partially blocks the opening 922 forthe external section of the volume button 118. Instead volume button 118can be mounted from outside of the housing 102. Two openings 906 in thestructural support section 904 can be sized appropriately to pass thecapture portion 938 of the posts 934 on the button 932 through. Afterinserting volume button 118 through the housing 102, a retention bracket940, which includes relatively narrow slots 946 sized according to thediameter of the stem portion 936 of the posts 934, can be inserted tocapture and retain volume button 118 securely in the housing 102. Thecapture portion 938 of the posts 934 on volume button 118 can contacttactile switches mounted on a printed circuit board 942 placed behindthe retention bracket. The printed circuit board 942 and the retentionbracket 940 can include mounting holes through which they can be securedby fasteners to holes 908 in the structural support section 904.

The button assembly shown in FIGS. 9A-D enables the relatively largevolume button 118 to be mounted securely through relatively large hole922 in housing 102 and to contact a pair of tactile switches mountedinside, while also including structural support of the housing 102around the opening 922. Structural support integrity of the combinationof the housing 102 and the structural support section 904 can beretained by using this “outside to inside” button assembly. FIG. 9Eillustrates a simplified horizontal cross-sectional view of a portion ofthe button assembly of FIGS. 9A-D when assembled together. A post 934 ofthe volume button 118 extends through opening 922 in housing 102 andalso through the narrowing opening 906 in structural support section904, sized to allow passage of the capture portion 938 of the post 934.The retention bracket 940 surrounds the stem portion 936 of the post 934and holding the post 934 of the volume button within the button assemblyas the opening in the retention bracket 940 can be narrower than thediameter of the capture portion 938. The capture portion 938 of the post934 can contact a tactile switch 962 mounted on printed circuit board942 when the user presses on the exterior of volume button 118. Printedcircuit board 942 and retention bracket 940 can be secured to structuralsupport section 904 by fasteners 964 through holes (as shown in FIGS.9C-D) therein.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram describing process 1000 forassembling internal components for a portable computing device inaccordance with the described embodiments. Process 1000 begins at 1002by receiving housing suitable for enclosing and supporting internalcomponents of the portable computing device. The components can include,for example, a battery assembly, a main printed circuit board, a mainlogic board, and so on. In the described embodiment, the housingincludes a plurality of mounting steps formed on interior bottom surfaceof the housing. The mounting steps can be formed in the housing usingany well-known machining operation. The steps can have a step heightsuitable for providing a good mounting surface for the internalcomponents. In addition to providing a good mounting surface, thehousing material removed to form the plurality of steps substantiallyreduces the weight of the housing with adversely affecting thestructural integrity of the housing. Once the housing has been receivedat 1004, the component can be inserted into the cavity at 1006 andplaced in direct contact with the interior surface of the housing at1008 using the mounting steps. In this way, the mounting feature can bemounted directly to the interior surface of the housing. Once placeddirectly onto the interior surface of the housing, the component can beattached to the housing at 1010 using any well-known attaching processsuch as epoxy, welding, and so on.

FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of SIM card release mechanism 1100 inaccordance with the described embodiments. SIM card release mechanism1100 can include tray 1102 suitable for securing a SIM card when placedthereon. Push rod 1104 can be connected to ejection mechanism 1106connected to a back portion of tray 1102. In order to eject a SIM card(or to make tray 1102 available for placing of a SIM card) a user canapply a force to push rod 1104. The applied force can be transferred bypush rod 1104 to ejection mechanism 1106 that can pivot about pivotpoint 1108. By pivoting about pivot point 1108, ejection mechanism 1106causes tray 1102 to move in a direction that exposes 1102 making itsuitable for the user to either remove/replace or add a SIM card to tray1102. FIG. 12 shows SIM card release mechanism 1100 included in portablecomputing device 100 in a particular embodiment.

Since it is contemplated that portable computing device 100 can beconfigured to access wireless networks using any number of wirelessprotocols, those embodiments of housing 102 formed of radio opaquematerial can be adapted for use with RF compliant portable computingdevices. For example, in one embodiment, housing 102 can have portionsremoved in order to reduce the likelihood that the radio opacity ofhousing 102 will interfere with wireless operations. Accordingly, FIG.13 shows housing 1300 formed of radio opaque material such as metalconfigured for use with portable computing device 100 having wireless(RF) based functionality. In particular, housing 1300 can be formed inmuch the same way as housing 102 with the exception that radio opaqueportion 1302 can be removed and replaced with radio transparent portion1304 (also referred to as an antenna window). In the describedembodiment, antenna window 1304 can be formed of plastic, ceramicmaterials, or any material of suitable strength having the appropriatelevel of radio transparency. Therefore, it is contemplated that antennawindow 1304 can be placed in proximity to an internal RF antenna inorder to minimize the interference of housing 1300 and to help tomaximize the efficiency of the RF antenna. For both aesthetic reasonsand the maintenance of structural integrity of housing 1300, antennawindow 1304 can be made to substantially conform to the shape of housing1300. Therefore, antenna window 1304 can have a shape that conforms tothe shape of housing 1300. In this way, antenna window 1304 can have afirst portion that has a similar shape as upper portion 228 and a secondportion that transitions to lower portion 230 of housing 102.

In order to assure easy assembly and a good structural bond, antennawindow 1304 can be formed to include plurality of grooves 1306 arrangedto accept a corresponding one of a plurality of castellation 1308 formedon housing 1300. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, antenna window 1304can placed within opening 1310 and in a diving motion, placed inproximity to housing 1300 such that castellation 1308 can be insertedwithin corresponding groove 1306. Once each of the castellation areinserted into an appropriate one of the grooves, epoxy (or otherappropriate adhesive) placed within or inserted into each groove asshown in FIG. 15 to permanently attach antenna window 1304 to housing1300. It should be noted that gap 1312 can remain to account for thedifferences in coefficients of thermal expansion of housing 1300 andantenna window 1304.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of thedescribed embodiments can be used separately or in any combination.Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented bysoftware, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Thedescribed embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code ona computer readable medium for controlling manufacturing operations oras computer readable code on a computer readable medium for controllinga manufacturing line. The computer readable medium is any data storagedevice that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computersystem. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-onlymemory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, optical datastorage devices, and carrier waves. The computer readable medium canalso be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that thecomputer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention.However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specificdetails are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, theforegoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present inventionare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art thatmany modifications and variations are possible in view of the aboveteachings.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

While the embodiments have been described in terms of several particularembodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents, whichfall within the scope of these general concepts. It should also be notedthat there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods andapparatuses of the present embodiments. For example, although anextrusion process is preferred method of manufacturing the integraltube, it should be noted that this is not a limitation and that othermanufacturing methods can be used (e.g., injection molding). It istherefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted asincluding all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fallwithin the true spirit and scope of the described embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic device, comprising: ahousing that includes side walls, wherein at least one of the side wallsincludes a lateral surface (i) that terminates at a front edge having afront surface that defines, in part, a front opening, and (ii) thatterminates at a rear edge having a rear surface that defines, in part, arear opening; a front panel including a first RF transparent materialcarried within the front opening; and a rear panel including a second RFtransparent material that is defined, in part by, the rear edge andcarried within the rear opening.
 2. The portable electronic device asrecited in claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a rear wallhaving an interior edge that further defines the rear panel, and therear panel is smaller than the front panel.
 3. The portable electronicdevice as recited in claim 1, where the housing includes radio-opaquematerial.
 4. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1,wherein the lateral surface has a spline shaped profile.
 5. The portableelectronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein the rear edge isseparated from the rear panel by a gap that allows for differentialthermal expansion of the housing and the second RF transparent material.6. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 5, wherein acurvature of the rear panel and the spline shaped profile of the sidewall combines to define a continuous curved geometry that includes thegap.
 7. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1, whereinthe first RF transparent material is an optically transparent material.8. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein thesecond RF transparent material includes at least one of: a glassmaterial, or a ceramic material, or a thinned aluminum material.
 9. Theportable electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first RFtransparent material includes at least one of: a glass material or aplastic material.
 10. A portable electronic device, comprising: ahousing that includes a radio frequency (RF) opaque material and a sidewall having (i) a front edge that defines a front opening, and (ii) arear edge; a RF circuit coupled to an RF antenna carried by the housing,wherein the RF antenna provides a wireless communication channel for useby the RF circuit; and a rear panel that is defined, in part, by therear edge, and the rear panel includes an RF transmissive material thatallows passage of RF signals, wherein a gap separates the rear edge fromthe rear panel.
 11. The portable electronic device as recited in claim10, wherein the gap accommodates for different thermal characteristicsof the rear panel and the RF opaque material.
 12. The portableelectronic device as recited in claim 10, further comprising: aprocessor carried by the housing; and a display assembly carried in thefront opening and overlaid by a protective layer that is radio frequency(RF) transparent and optically transparent.
 13. The portable electronicdevice as recited in claim 10, wherein the rear panel has first thermalcharacteristics and the radio frequency (RF) opaque material has secondthermal characteristics that are different than the first thermalcharacteristics.
 14. The portable electronic device as recited in claim10, wherein the side wall includes a lateral surface having a splineshaped profile that terminates at the rear edge.
 15. The portableelectronic device as recited in claim 14, wherein a curvature of therear panel and the spline shaped profile of the side wall combines todefine a curved geometry that includes the gap.
 16. A portableelectronic device having a curved geometry, comprising: a housing thatincludes radio-opaque material and that has side walls, wherein at leastone of the side walls includes a lateral surface having a spline shapedprofile, wherein the lateral surface (i) terminates at a front edgehaving a front surface that defines, in part, a front opening and (ii)terminates at a rear edge having a rear surface that defines, in part, arear opening; an optically clear front panel disposed within the frontopening; and a rear panel that includes radio-transparent material thatis defined, in part, by the rear edge and disposed within the rearopening, wherein a curvature of the rear panel and the spline shapedprofile of the at least one side wall define the curved geometry. 17.The portable electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the rearedge is separated from the rear panel by a gap that allows fordifferential thermal expansion of the rear panel and the at least oneside wall.
 18. The portable electronic device as recited in claim 17,wherein the curved geometry accommodates for the gap.
 19. The portableelectronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the housing includesat least one of an aluminum or an aluminum alloy.
 20. The portableelectronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein the optically clearfront panel includes at least one of: a glass material or a plasticmaterial.